Snow, frozen rain shut down much of state

Posted: Tuesday, January 11, 2011

By DORIE TURNER

ATLANTA - Southerners more accustomed to sunshine than snow ditched wrecked cars on icy roadsides and huddled in chilly, dark homes Monday as a wintry blast swept the region, dumping up to 8 inches of snow and threatening days of treacherous conditions.

The storm canceled more than 2,000 flights in the region, cut electricity to thousands of customers and even forced Auburn University to cancel campus viewing parties for the national championship bowl game.

Sleet and freezing rain followed the snow in many areas from Louisiana to the Carolinas, and overnight low temperatures across much of the region were expected to turn slushy roads into sheets of ice by this morning.

Schools and colleges, including the University of Georgia, canceled today's classes for the second consecutive day - and some administrators wondered if they would be able to reopen on Wednesday.

In Atlanta, under 3-4 inches of snow and ice, state officials were forced to move Monday's inauguration of Gov. Nathan Deal from the state Capitol steps into the House chamber. The inaugural gala was scrapped to keep supporters off treacherous roads.

Most major cities in the South have only a handful of snowplows, if any at all, and their work was hampered in some places by stranded cars. Officials in several states reported hundreds of wrecks and urged drivers to stay home. At least four people died in weather-related crashes.

The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee declared states of emergency.

In Alabama, roads were coated with ice in Shelby County, just south of Birmingham, where Waffle House waitress Stephanie McGougin served eggs and grits to the few diners who could make it inside early Monday. There were plenty of empty seats at the restaurant, which is normally busy.

"I think we're about the only place open," McGougin said.

The winter storm dropped 6 inches of snow on South Carolina, causing hundreds of car accidents and closing schools, state offices and the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, and forecasters were calling for total accumulation to reach 12 inches by early today.

Despite officials imploring people to stay off the roads, interstates around Atlanta were clogged with cars early Monday.

Elsewhere all over the South, cars were having trouble on the slippery streets and highways, with numerous slide-offs.

Georgia got up to 8 inches of snow from the powerful storm, which also dumped snow and ice in Mississippi, Alabama, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.

Highway crews were working to keep major roads passable.

In Georgia, at least one lane was open in each direction on all major highways Monday morning, said Rick Parham, state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Still, icy conditions made highways treacherous, officials said. The Georgia State Patrol had worked 84 crashes with 17 injuries Monday.

The snow and ice likely will linger, forecasters said.

"Since it's going to be pretty cold over the next few days, we could see whatever accumulates sticking around for a few days," said Daniel Lamb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Auburn University students had to go off-campus to watch the Tigers play in the national championship bowl game Monday night after the university canceled all viewing parties and other events planned as the state prepares for severe winter weather.

Classes were also canceled Monday at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where the city used backhoes to clear roads because it has no snow plows.